Fish Wildlife. New Jersey. & 2005 Hunting Issue. Free. Antlerless Deer: Be Selective! New Deer Management Zone Boundaries

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1 New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection New Jersey Fish Wildlife & 2005 Hunting Issue A Summary of Rules & Management Information D I G E S T VOL. 19 NO. 1 August 2005 Free Antlerless Deer: Be Selective! New Deer Management Zone Boundaries Hunting Season Dates and Bag Limits Youth Hunting Opportunities

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3 page 18 page 20 page 22 departments Hunting & Trapping License, Permit & Stamp Information....7 Deer Permit Application Deer Season Permits License Agents Selling Deer Permits Highlights of Changes in Hunting & Trapping Regulations...21 Youth Hunting Opportunities Hunting Regulations General Deer Regulations Regulation Sets Reference Chart & Zone Map Four Easy Steps to Find Your Deer Season by Zone Deer Management Zone Descriptions Regulation Sets Special Areas Deer Season Information Deer Check Stations Black Bear Small Game Small Game Season Chart Trapping Turkey Migratory Birds Wildlife Management Areas Outstanding Deer Program Hunter Access Public Deer Hunting Land National Wildlife Refuge Hunting Sunrise-Sunset Table features Be Selective! Identifying Antlerless Deer in the Field 18 Bear Dogs: New Jersey s Black Mouth Curs 20 White-tailed Deer Alter New Jersey Forests 70 Conservation Officer of the Year 72 New System Generates Durable Sporting License 72 Chronic Wasting Disease: Frequently Asked Questions 74 Aggressive Turkeys Concern Suburban Dwellers 77 Fall and Winter Trout Stocking Program 79 Declining Bobwhite An Update 81 License Information & Fees (Licenses are valid from date of purchase to Dec. 31 of each year.) Firearm Licenses Resident Firearm Hunting (16 64 years)...$27.50 Senior Resident Firearm Hunting (65 years & older) $15.50 Non-Resident Firearm Hunting $ Non-Resident Two-Day Small Game Firearm Hunting $36.50 Special One-Day Hunting $12.50 (On Commercial Preserves Only) Youth (10 15, see page 8) FREE Bow and Arrow Licenses Resident Bow & Arrow Hunting $31.50 Senior Resident Bow & Arrow Hunting (65 years & older)..$16.50 Non-Resident Bow & Arrow Hunting...$ Youth (10 15, see page 8) FREE Trapping Licenses Resident Trapping $32.50 Non-Resident Trapping $ Permits Deer Permits for Bow, Shotgun or Muzzleloader $28 Youth Deer and Turkey Permit $12 Turkey Season Permit $21 Rifle Permit (1-year Permit) $9.50 Rifle Permit, Youth $5 Beaver Trapping Permit $17 Otter Trapping Permit $2 Stamps Pheasant & Quail Stamp $40 Resident Waterfowl Stamp $5 Non-Resident Waterfowl Stamp $10 Miscellaneous Licenses All-Around Sportsman $72.25 (Includes Resident Firearm Hunting, Bow & Arrow Hunting & Fishing Licenses) Duplicate License $2 See page 7 for additional license information.

4 Commissioner s Message By Bradley M. Campbell As tens of thousands of sportsmen and sportswomen head for New Jersey s fields, forests and marshes anticipating a top-quality hunting experience, our Division of Fish & Wildlife is particularly well-positioned to continue meeting those high expectations this season and beyond. During the past several months, we have redoubled our efforts to ensure New Jersey s sporting traditions continue to thrive. We sought out much-needed funding, supported key legislative proposals and embraced opportunities to foster collaborative partnerships with members of the sporting community to achieve our shared goals. It is gratifying to report that our work produced solid results. For the first time in history, New Jersey legislators appropriated dollars from the General Fund to strengthen Fish & Wildlife s ability to fulfill its responsibility for protecting and managing the state s fish and wildlife resources and enhancing their recreational and economic value. In response to our funding request, lawmakers approved a $4.2 million appropriation that will offset the shortfall resulting from increased costs for salaries and benefits and declining revenue from fishing and hunting licenses, the lifeblood of Fish & Wildlife s operations for more than a century. What s more, the funding is an acknowledgement of the value of wildlife-related recreation in New Jersey and a vote of confidence in the work our Fish & Wildlife professionals do every day. State lawmakers also approved our recommendation for $223.5 million in Green Acres funding for land-acquisition projects and recreational and conservation improvements on state lands. The funding total includes $10 million for work to protect and enhance wildlife management areas, historic sites and state parks throughout the state. In addition, $18 million will be used to acquire open space in the Highlands region to protect New Jersey s critical water supplies and maintain our unique biodiversity. Another $9 million is earmarked for Ridge and Valley region open space purchases that will link publicly owned lands such as the Delaware Water Gap National Recreational Area, Stokes State Forest, High Point State Park, Jenny Jump State Forest and Bear Swamp Wildlife Management Area. We advanced our mutual goals for conservation of New Jersey s wildlife by supporting legislation that will help ensure the Garden State qualifies for nearly $1.2 million in federal grants to benefit wildlife. The bill, S1863, which provides a supplemental appropriation of $381,715 to fund the federal grant s state match component, won overwhelming approval in both houses of the Legislature. To further enhance hunting opportunities and to help reduce overabundant deer populations, we backed sportsmen s interests in doubling the number of available weekend hunting days for most bow hunters by fully supporting the Sunday Bow Hunting bill, A-3736, now wending its way through the Legislature. The state s burgeoning population of black bears remains a concern and a challenge. We are working closely with the New Jersey Fish and Game Council to implement a comprehensive bear-management policy that includes public education and a hunt among its tools for controlling the population and keeping our residents safe. Though black bear management also is a reliable source of controversy, I am buoyed by the Council s collaborative spirit under its new chairman, Ernest P. Hahn, appointed by Acting Governor Richard J. Codey earlier this year. Ernie s distinguished career in public service began 30 years ago in what was then the Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife. Before joining the Delaware and Raritan Canal Commission as executive director last January, Ernie served as assistant commissioner for land use at the DEP and was instrumental in developing and implementing a series of landmark protections that will preserve New Jersey s natural resources for generations to come. After an especially hot and humid summer, the crisp autumn air ushers in a wide array of seasonal opportunities to enjoy New Jersey s natural resources. All of us at the DEP remain committed to preserving and expanding these opportunities and the quality of life they provide residents and visitors alike. Bradley M. Campbell is Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Director s Message By Marty McHugh In these current economic times, many employers are struggling with the rising costs of business operations and increased costs for employee benefits, fuel and utilities. The Department of Environmental Protection s Division of Fish & Wildlife is no exception. The rising costs of operations combined with successive years of declining revenue from fewer license buyers has hit Fish & Wildlife especially hard in the recent past, resulting in an operating deficit. Carryover and reserve funds used in past fiscal years to help balance the budget all but dried up despite the effort to tighten our belts in the last three fiscal years. Fish & Wildlife was faced with an estimated $4-million shortfall for the fiscal year that began on July 1. Dark clouds have silver linings and ours was the support that materialized to provide a $4.2-million appropriation from the general fund in this fiscal year s state budget. That support came from two key sources: DEP Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell who went to bat for us with the State Treasurer and the Legislature, and a broad coalition of conservation, environmental, hunting and angling groups that pushed for state funding for Fish & Wildlife. Through this effort, Fish & Wildlife s hunting and angling programs achieved a new level of recognition for the economic, recreational and wildlife management benefits provided to the state by hunting and angling. Equally important was the recognition of the many programs and services Fish & Wildlife provides beyond hunting and angling and the benefits those additional services provide to all the residents of our state. The broad coalition of sporting, conservation, environmental groups and commercial fishing interests that came together for Fish (Continued on page 4) Hunting Issue Vol. 19, No. 1 August 2005

5 Princeton: East Brunswick: East Hanover: NEW JERSEY STORE LOCATIONS Woodbridge: Freehold: Moorestown: Deptford: Burlington: Mays Landing: Marine Issue 1

6 (Director s Message, Continued) & Wildlife joined forces under the New Jersey Outdoor Congress. One of the major goals of the Outdoor Congress is to secure an adequate and permanent public funding source for both Fish & Wildlife and Parks and Forestry in the near future. I encourage all of you to follow this process and join in through membership and participation in the groups that have formed the Outdoor Congress. Another recent development has seen a select group of conservation organizations from the Outdoor Congress come together to work side-by-side with Fish & Wildlife and the Fish and Game Council to support deer hunting as a crucial management tool necessary to preserve the biological value of our precious forests. Their commitment was reinforced through testimony supporting our deer management efforts at the June Game Code hearing. Support from the environmental groups has cost them memberships but they have remained steadfast in their support of deer hunting. Their efforts have focused public attention on the devastating impacts to forests from overabundant deer and the associated negative impacts to a number of forest-dependent species. Attention also has been focused on the cost effectiveness and efficiency of deer hunting as a deer population and forest habitat management tool. Fortunately, New Jersey s progressive deer management, which has been supported by hunters since the 1970s, has left our forests in much better shape than some other states. We have proven that when hunters have access to land, deer can be managed successfully. The dark clouds on the horizon are thinning in terms of natural resource funding and the debate over deer management; the silver lining is shining brighter. At no time in our state history has such a large and diverse group of traditional and non-traditional fish and wildlife constituents formed a single voice in support of Fish & Wildlife, our fish and wildlife management programs and the natural resource programs in Parks and Forestry. We should all be encouraged by the potential this provides for a brighter future for Fish & Wildlife, a healthy fish and wildlife resource and the outdoor recreation it supports. Marty McHugh is Director of New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection State of New Jersey Richard J. Codey, Acting Governor Department of Environmental Protection Bradley M. Campbell, Commissioner Office of Natural and Historic Resources John S. Watson, Jr., Assistant Commissioner Division of Fish and Wildlife Martin McHugh, Director David Chanda, Assistant Director Larry Herrighty, Chief, Bureau of Wildlife Management Tony Petrongolo, Chief, Bureau of Land Management Mark Dobelbower, Acting Chief, Law Enforcement Jim Sciascia, Chief, Information and Education Cindy Kuenstner, Editor The Division of Fish and Wildlife is a professional, environmental organization dedicated to the protection, management and wise use of the state s fish and wildlife resources. This Digest is available at license agents and Fish & Wildlife offices. Articles and information may be reprinted with permission. Subscriptions are not available. This Digest is designed and produced by J.F. Griffin Publishing, LLC; Lead Designer: David Lane Partial Funding for the Digest is provided by the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Program. Cover Photo: David J. Sams/Windigo Images; Mitch Kezar/WindigoImages.com Fish and Game Council Ernest P. Hahn, Chair, West Trenton Richard Culp, Oak Ridge W. Scott Ellis, Yardville Fred Hough, Augusta Jane Morton Galetto, Millville Ed Kertz, Egg Harbor Elwood Knight, Mount Laurel John Messeroll, E. Brunswick Robert Von Suskil, Vineland Jeannette Vreeland, Andover Dr. Leonard Wolgast, Somerset Endangered and Nongame Species Advisory Committee Jane Morton Galetto, Chair, Millville Dr. James Applegate, Cranbury Dr. Barbara Brummer, Chester Dr. Joanna Burger, Somerset Dr. Emile DeVito, Far Hills Janet Larson, Toms River Rick Lathrop, Bound Brook David Mizrahi, Cape May Court House Dr. Dale Schweitzer, Port Norris James Shissias, Titusville New Jersey Fish Wildlife & 2005 Hunting Issue D I G E S T New Jersey Fish & Wildlife Councils VOL. 19 NO. 1 August 2005 Marine Fisheries Council Gilbert Ewing, Jr., Chair, Cape May Dr. Robert B. Abel, Shrewsbury Erling Berg, Cape May Dr. Patrick Donnelly, Brielle Edward Goldman, Absecon Dick Herb, Avalon John J. Maxwell, Germania Frances Puskas, Barnegat Light Joe Rizzo, Mayetta Nancy Sittineri, Cape May Court House Atlantic Coast Shellfish Council John J. Maxwell, Chair, Germania Everett Giberson, Warren Grove Walter Hughes, Atlantic Highlands Daniel L. Loper, Erma Stephen Potter, New Gretna Delaware Bay Shellfish Council Nancy Sittineri, Chair, Cape May Court House Scott Bailey, Millville Stephen Fleetwood, Port Norris Warren Hollinger, Port Norris This DIGEST is available in enlarged format for the visually impaired Hunting Issue Write to: New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife Large Format Hunting Digest P.O. Box 400 Trenton, NJ Where to Write Us New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Fish and Wildlife P.O. Box 400 Trenton, NJ Internet: New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife Our Mission To protect and manage the state s fish and wildlife to maximize their long-term biological, recreational and economic value for all New Jerseyans. Our Goals To maintain New Jersey s rich variety of fish and wildlife species at stable, healthy levels and to protect and enhance the many habitats on which they depend. To educate New Jerseyans on the values and needs of our fish and wildlife and to foster a positive human/wildlife co-existence. To maximize the recreational and commercial use of New Jersey s fish and wildlife for both present and future generations.

7 $100,000 * 1 s t Annual New Je rsey Big Buck Contest Grand Prize of $50,000 Cash Plus: Ford F150, Arctic Cat 500 ATVs, Big Game Hunting Trips, Hunting Jackets, and a Free T-shirt for Entering Categories: Adult Bow, Adult Shotgun, and Youth Tournament Entry Fee: $100 per category (no limit on number of deer entered into contest) B U C K w w w. n j b i g b u c k c o n t e s t. c o m or visit your local hunting and sporting goods store *Log on to our website to see rules and regulations for prize and contest details

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